Royal Navy museum launches £600,000 fundraising campaign to save historic Spanish Armada maps

The National Museum of the Royal Navy, in Portsmouth, is aiming to raise the funds in order to purchase the historic drawings and display them to the public.

The hand-drawn maps – created shortly after the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588 - were sold to an anonymous bidder abroad for £600,000 earlier this year – but Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage used her powers as culture secretary to ban them from being exported.

Now the museum is working with the dealer and the current seller in order to secure the historic artefacts.

Using a £100,000 from an annual purchase grant from the Royal Navy, the museum has managed to extend the export ban until January 2021, while it looks to raise the remaining £500,000.

The museum is ‘honour bound’ to lead the fight to keep the maps in the UK, according to Dominic Tweddle, director general of the NMRN.

He said: ‘The Armada maps represent a defining moment in England’s naval history and speak directly to our identity as an island nation.

‘This has been an incredibly tough year for the Museum, with our Covid-enforced closure and loss of revenue.

‘However, when we learned that the maps could be lost abroad into private hands we decided we were honour-bound to step in and lead the fight to save them for the nation.’

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The drawings were completed by an unknown draughtsman, thought to be from the Netherlands, and represent one of the first attempts to record the history of British naval power.

Ms Dinenage welcomed the effort to ensure the map’s remain in the country, saying: ‘The defeat of the Spanish Armada is central to the historical tale of what makes Britain great.

‘It’s the story of plucky England defeating a greater foe and helped to create the world we live in today.’

Anyone wishing to support the campaign can donate at nmrn.org.uk.

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